1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to document printing systems, methods of printing, and computer program products for managing print jobs.
2. Discussion of the Background
The ability to print documents from a computer has become so widespread that our society is increasingly becoming dependent on that ability. Small, large, and virtual businesses, educational centers, and government agencies all rely on that ability.
In home offices, printers are typically connected directly to a computer. In larger offices, printers are often connected to a network, to which other printers and a number of computers may be connected. The network may be an internal network located inside an office or business, or may be a publically accessible network, such as the Internet, or a combination of both. FIG. 1 shows an illustration of a printing system with a printer 10 connected to a network L1, to which computers 20 are connected.
Independent of whether printers are connected directly to a computer, or connected to a network, printers can work in several different modes depending on the user's specific needs. For example, a printer can work in a “normal” mode in which a document is printed by the printer as soon as the printer is available for printing. In another mode, called the “document server” mode, the user sends a document server print job (“print job”) to the printer which holds it in memory until a file name and password is entered using the front panel of the printer. This “document server” mode may be useful, for example, when the printer is located far away from the computer. The user, who just sent a print job to the printer, may not want the printer to print until the user arrives at the printer. In the “document server” mode, the user may thus prevent others from reading a confidential document or misplacing the user's printout. In this mode, the user also has the flexibility to check that the printer has enough paper before starting to print a large file, or to load the printer with a special paper, e.g., color paper or transparencies. The “document server” mode is therefore a popular mode of using a printer.
FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a conventional “document server” system. The user computer 20 includes an operating system (OS) 30 which interacts with a printer driver 40 so as to enable a user to send a print job to the printer 10 via a connection L1. The connection L1 can be a cable connected to the printer 10 and to an I/O controller/printer port (not shown) of computer 20. Alternatively, the connection L1 can be a network connecting the printer 10 to a communication controller/network card (not shown) of the computer 20. The printer driver 40 is a software interface permiting interaction betwen a specific printer and a specific operating system. The operating system 30 sends signals in accordance with instructions from the printer driver 40 to a printer port and/or network card (not shown), thus sending signals corresponding to the document or other item to be printed to the printer 10 via the connection L1.
The printer driver 40 can provide, for example, graphical user interfaces 400 and 500, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, respectively, which are conventional and well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art. In FIG. 3, the “Set up” graphical user interface 400 permits the user to select a job type or mode, for example by selecting “Document Server” on a “Job Type” drop-down menu 410. The user may also set a variety of printing attributes, such as a print job orientation using an “Orientation” drop-down menu 420, or a paper size using a “Paper Size” drop-down menu 430. The user may then select an “OK” push button 440 and/or an “Apply” push button 460. The “OK” push button 440, “Cancel” push button 450 and “Apply” push button 460 are well known in the art and are default push buttons supplied with a window programming package, such as a window program package sold under the trademark VISUAL BASIC, or other window system.
In FIG. 4, the “Statistics” graphical user interface 500 permits the user to enter a file name in a “File Name” window 510 and a password in a “Password” window 520, the file name and password being associated with the print job sent to the printer 10. A user code can also be entered in a “User Code” window 530 of the graphical user interface 500.
Returning to FIG. 2, the printer 10 includes a printer controller 50, which receives and holds the print job in memory. A front panel 60 permits the user to enter a file name and a password which the printer controller 50 matches with the file name and password entered with the graphical user interface 500. Upon matching, the printer controller 55 instruct the printing mechanism 70 to execute the print job.
Although the “document server” mode is popular, conventional systems capable of implementing the “document server” mode have an important drawback: once a first print job is sent to the printer 10, the user cannot change the printing attributes of the first print job from the user's computer. In conventional systems, the user has to send a second, updated print job and either cancel the first print job using the front panel of the printer or print out the first print job before printing out the second, updated print job. The present inventor has determined that this lack of flexibility in changing printing attributes from the user's computer leads to inefficiencies and loss of time and resources.